PawSox5, RailRiders 4: Pawtucket holds on for series split

Monday

Jun 23, 2014 at 9:51 PM

MOOSIC, Pa. — Pawtucket starter Steven Wright pitched seven strong innings and the PawSox sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs in the fifth inning en route to a 5-4 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...

By Special to the Journal

MOOSIC, Pa. — Pawtucket starter Steven Wright pitched seven strong innings and the PawSox sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs in the fifth inning en route to a 5-4 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Monday night.

The PawSox earned a split of the four-game series with the win.

Wright (2-1) allowed only five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out seven. The knuckleballer, who permitted two solo home runs, threw 103 pitches. Tommy Layne pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his fifth save.

The PawSox collected six hits against Scranton starter Jeremy Bleich (0-2) in the fifth to erase a 2-0 deficit and score all of their runs.

After a single, walk and bunt single loaded the bases with none out in the fifth, Bleich allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Mookie Betts and Mike McCoy to tie the game at 2. Travis Shaw then grounded out, but the go-ahead run crossed the plate on the play.

Ryan Roberts capped the rally with a two-out, two-run double that scored Betts and McCoy to make it 5-2. Reliever Drake Britton gave up two runs in the eighth but escaped further damage with a double play groundout and a strikeout.